Day 5: Daily Omer Wellness Practice

Omer Day Five: Loving the Little Things
20 Nisan 5780
Tuesday 14 April 2020

Today’s Omer practice is about loving the little things — Hod within Chesed — Humility within Lovingkindness. To love something is to know it, so we’ll use the tool of visual journaling — aka drawing or sketching — to observe, notice, and make note of the unique features that distinguish something in our lives and homes that is precious to us (or could be).

It’s worth noting here that one of the great qualities of Moses, our great teacher, was his ability to notice and observe holiness in that which so many would otherwise take for granted. How many other shepardfolk may have walked by the burning bush without noticing anything unusual? Moses not only paused at the bush, he stayed and observed it for long enough to realize that something unusual was happening — it was burning but not being consumed.

How often do we miss out on moments of sacredness because we didn’t take the time to look? Might we use this time of slowed-down-ness to purposefully find love and holiness in the world even or especially when we are challenged by that which makes us fearful, isolated, and at risk?

☀️Omer Day 5 practice [20 Nisan 5780 | Tuesday 14 April 2020] ☀️

1. Locate a small object that is (or could be) precious to you.
2. For one minute, simply observe the features of this object — its color, shape, features, weight, smell, etc.
3. For the remaining six minutes, draw the object from one or more different perspectives, making visual and written annotations describing what is interesting, unique, and noteworthy.
4. At the end of the time, verbally thank the object and place it back in its spot.

🌀Materials 🌀

• A small special or precious object
• Paper or notebook for sketching
• Pen or pencil
• Colored pencils or pens (optional)
• Timer

✨Practice Notes ✨

• Your object should be small enough that you can pick it up and/or easily turn it. A few suggestions:
  • A childhood keepsake
  • Ritual item
  • Houseplant
  • A gift someone crafted for you or found somewhere special
  • A well-read well-worn book, card, etc
  • Favorite mug
  • Nature artifact — a river stone, pine cone, driftwood, amulet, etc
• Maybe your object isn’t yet “precious” but it’s calling to you — awesome. Maybe this is the opportunity to transform it from interesting to cherished!
• This is drawing for journaling’s sake … not for an artschool grade 🙂 Think about this as visual note-taking more so than trying to create a perfectly accurate or aesthetically “perfect” drawing
• Make note of the details, both visually and with written annotations
• Written labels and notes are encouraged but keep the focus on the visual over the written
• Super ok (and especially encouraged) to do this practice if you don’t consider yourself “artistic” !! This is about enjoying the processes of observing, making notice, and making art … and not predominantly the outcome
• And of course, if you love this and are inspired to do a more intensive artwork as follow up, that’s also great!

Gratitude to Emilie Lygren from whom I learned most of what I know about nature journaling … which makes sense because she’s written a book about it! 

Check it out here: How to Teach Nature Journaling

☀️This post is part of our Omer Wellness Series – a daily 7-minute opportunity for introspection and intentional focus on caring for ourselves, each other, and our environment in this incredibly challenging time. ☀️#omer #wellness #jewish #countingtheomer #jewishmovement #movementculture #movementecology #selfcare #dailypractice #hebrewcalendar #kabbalah #jewishwellness #dailyomerpractice #omerinplace #omer5780 #naturejournaling #natureart #sketchbook